Raw food for pets?

[dpareja]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/raw-food-pet-diet-becomes-trendy-even-as-vets-question-safety-1.2756938

A pet diet consisting of raw, uncooked, unprocessed food is becoming more popular.

Karen Schiavone grabs a heavy box of raw meat patties from her store’s massive freezer. "There’s 42 patties of chicken dinner, four patties of lamb, two patties of duck, and two salmon," she says as she plunks the box down in front of her customer.

Her furry customer tries to sniff out the contents. Tetsuo is a Bernese Mountain Dog and he’s doing the raw food diet.

Vets are warning against it.

But many in the veterinary community are watching the trend with trepidation because, they warn, owners handling and pets eating raw meat is risky. "When I talk to my clients, I say the risks at this point way, way outweigh any perceived benefits," veterinarian Danny Joffe declares.

...

But veterinarian Joffe worries pets’ health could be compromised by eating raw food because he says it’s not nutritionally balanced like science-based kibbles: "There are lots of good studies now showing that these [raw] foods are in most cases not nutritionally complete," declares Joffe, who practices at the Calgary Animal Referral and Emergency Centre.

He believes the diet is in fact downright dangerous and he’s hardly alone. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning that "raw pet food was more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria." The pathogens can include salmonella and listeria and, according to Joffe, find their way into a home no matter how carefully an owner handles raw meat.

"Those bacteria end up in the feces of the dog, in their stools where they can contaminate the environment. So people living with the dog can become infected."

But at least some of them aren't like the vegan jackasses who feed their carnivorous pets vegan diets.

Back at Barkside Bistro, Schiavone says pets will get a nutritionally balanced diet eating raw as long as owners vary the meal plan. On this day, she advises customer Joe Madziak to occasionally feed his dog a raw fish dinner, containing sole, cod, ground fish bone, plus kelp and fruit and vegetables.

Madziak has no qualms about the raw diet, explaining he became a "firm believer" after it brought his sick Dalmatian back to health. He only had one hurdle to overcome before he cracked open his first pack of raw meat patties: He’s a vegan. But while Madziak doesn’t believe in eating meat, "I realize the dog is a whole different story. That’s the basis of their diet, so I just reconciled it."

[Ultimate Paragon]

Apparently, these people don't realize that animals need balanced diets too.

[Witchyjoshy]

This is like the opposite extreme of the vegetarian diet for pets.

[Mechtaur]

Aw, I read the title as in saying people had raw food as pets, like a demented pet rock type of thing.

[Askold]

Point: Most animals eat raw food in the nature.

Counterpoint: Most animals eat raw FRESH food in the nature rather than food that has been stored and transported.

Counterpoint: Most animals aren't pets that have been bred for centuries. Some of the pets need special food to survive.

[Ghoti]

Important question: if the animal eating said raw food diet is a cat, how are you sure said cat is getting enough taurine? Taurine deficiency is linked to heart failure and blindness and cats are incapable of creating it within their bodies, so it's a vital part of a cat's diet.

[Søren]

Our dogs eat a combination of raw meat, kibble and some dietary mix we make ourselves. Thats the general standard that most breeders i know go by, and no dog i know has ever had a deficiency due to said diet

[Witchyjoshy]

And that's something both the vegan idiots and these "Raw meat ONLY" idiots fail to understand - NUTRITION!

[Rime]

Living in a rural area with 20+ acres of wood, I almost need a feline to keep the mice out of the house.  She eats most of what she catches, but takes some time to show someone first.

[Witchyjoshy]

Living in a rural area with 20+ acres of wood, I almost need a feline to keep the mice out of the house.  She eats most of what she catches, but takes some time to show someone first.

Lucky.  Our cat catches the mice, brings them to us, and releases them in one of our bedrooms.

[Rime]

Important question: if the animal eating said raw food diet is a cat, how are you sure said cat is getting enough taurine? Taurine deficiency is linked to heart failure and blindness and cats are incapable of creating it within their bodies, so it's a vital part of a cat's diet.

I thought of replying sooner, my apologies.

Taurine can be found in heart tissue, but can also be manufactured artificially.  Competent mousers (or squirrelers or rabbiters) should have little trouble with proper taurine levels. 

On the other hand, we do have a decent dry food for her since she refuses to eat soft food now, and she does regularly nag me to feed her.  I put off feeding her because I want to make sure her body pH stays low.  If it's too close to neutral, cats can be prone to a blocked bladder and I don't have the money for cat surgery.

(EDIT: changed "synthesized" to "manufactured artifically" because the former gave the impression that animals can create it in their own bodies.)